Share This Story!

Since the death of Prince last month, the media have been filled with stories of the late singer-songwriter/musician/producer. One surprising tale came when Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for arena-rock superstars Journey, revealed his Prince connection.

Since the death of Prince last month, the media have been filled with stories of the late singer-songwriter/musician/producer. One surprising tale came when Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for arena-rock superstars Journey, revealed his Prince connection.

In 1984, Prince was poised to release what would be his big breakthrough as a commercial artist, the soundtrack to his film debut, 'Purple Rain.' Journey, meanwhile, was at the height of its success with a third straight multiplatinum album, 1983's 'Frontiers,' featuring the hits 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' and the prom slow-dance smash 'Faithfully.' It was the latter that prompted Prince's management to call in Cain, the song's writer, to listen to one of Prince's proposed new tracks.

'He was concerned that 'Purple Rain' was too much like 'Faithfully,'' recalls Cain, who never actually met the Purple One in person. 'I heard some similarities in the first bar and then the guitar solo. They put Prince on the phone, and he said, 'Do I need to change anything?' I said, 'No. You don't have to worry about us (suing for copyright infringement). It's the same chords, but so what? Everybody gets inspired from somebody, and I'm flattered that you care that much to call.' It shows what kind of caring guy he was. And then I got tickets to his show. I was way up front, and he threw a tambourine, and I caught it. Still have that tambourine.'

More than 30 years later, Cain and Journey are still in it for the long haul. Having outlasted most of their contemporaries, the band remains enduringly popular, packing arenas around the world. The group's annual summer tour, a teaming with fellow Northern California rock veterans the Doobie Brothers called 'San Francisco Fest 2016' (with Traffic guitarist and singer-songwriter Dave Mason opening), stops Wednesday, May 25, at FedExForum.

Previously a member of the John Waite-fronted group The Babys, Cain joined Journey in 1980 when the band was already a half-dozen records into its career. Substituting synthesizers for the Hammond B3 organ of predecessor Gregg Rollie, he helped update Journey's sound, and his compositions like 'Don't Stop Believin'' helped make his debut with the band, 1981's 'Escape,' their first No. 1 album. Though savaged by critics at the time — Dave Marsh called 'Escape' one of the worst No. 1 records of all time — the band racked up hit after hit in the '80s until lead singer Steve Perry's health problems forced it into hiatus in 1987.

Journey resumed eight years later, and despite personnel changes, has kept going strong ever since, buoyed by a string of unpredictable events that kept the group in the public eye. First, Perry bowed out of the group again. He was replaced by Steve Augeri. But when health problems sidelined Augeri in 2006, the remaining members turned to YouTube, of all places, to find his unlikely replacement. There they discovered Filipino powerhouse Arnel Pineda, whose rags-to-stardom story has inspired millions and given Journey a whole new international fan base.

About the same time, 'Don't Stop Believin'' was famously featured in the finale of the HBO series 'The Sopranos,' giving the song a new commercial life. It has been featured since in the TV show 'Glee' and the stage show and movie 'Rock of Ages,' and has become a staple of show choirs and sporting events around the world.

'We've got like three generations of people at our shows now,' says Cain, somewhat incredulous. 'It's really a blessing and an honor. I kind of sensed something was going on when we made all that music in the '80s just because of the sales and the amount of acceptance we received. You don't sell 250,000 units a week if somebody's not digging it. But for it to last is amazing.'

The band's new tour features a reunion with drummer Steve Smith, whose jazz-inflected beats featured prominently on the band's late '70s and early '80s hits. And Cain holds out hope for a future reteaming with Perry, who after decades of being out of the limelight has recently started performing again.

'We haven't heard from him, but the band has an open-door policy,' says Cain. 'Any time he wants to come sit in, he's welcome.'

Even if Journey were to end tomorrow, Cain would not be still for long. Filling his spare time with photography, water skiing, scuba diving, riding horses on his Florida ranch and raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he jokes he is going to be Dos Equis' next 'Most Interesting Man in the World.'

Cain currently splits his time between Orlando, where he lives with his new wife, televangelist Paula White, and Nashville, where at his Addiction Sound studio there he recently completed his first Christian rock record, 'What God Wants to Hear,' due this summer. A relatively new city on his circuit, however, is Memphis. White was partly raised here, and her mother still resides in Midtown.

'It's become one of my favorite cities. The more I'm there, the more I find out about different things and places,' says Cain, who spent last Thanksgiving here. 'A lot of times when we're in Nashville, my wife and I will drive to Memphis to see her mom and hang out. And I've got some cousins in Arkansas who come and hang out. It's just a good little town. It's a got a heart and soul to it.'

Journey, Doobie Brothers with Dave Mason

7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at FedExForum. Tickets: $49.50-$89.50, available through Ticketmaster.

Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/05/19/enduring-popularity-remains-a-blessing-and-an-honor-for-journeys-jonathan-cain/90538894/